If Earth had two moons: Reimagining the solar system

In the film Avatar, the blue-skinned Na'vi inhabit the lush moon of a gas-giant planet. What would life be like if Earth were such a moon?

Neil Comins investigates this possibility, along with nine other tweaks that might make our cosmic neighbourhood subtly - or fundamentally - different. What if the moon orbited Earth backwards? What if our solar system were located in the centre of our galaxy, rather than in the suburbs?

Counterfactual science is not everyone's cup of tea, but the author's pedigree as an astronomer at the University of Maine ensures the physics is rock-solid in this, his second venture into the genre. While the exploration of the knock-on consequences for life housed on these alien worlds is just a bit of speculative fun, it makes for a fascinating read nonetheless.

Book information:What if the Earth had Two Moons? And nine other thought-provoking speculations on the solar system by Neil Comins
St Martin's Press
£17.99/$26.99

I am looking forward to the book and the 10 altenate solar system he explores. What if's have always fasinated me in history and science.

Dreamer
on May 21, 2010 9:56 AM

Alternate astrology fanfics? WANT. :P

Doug
on May 21, 2010 10:40 AM

I have wondered what the climate would have been like for a venus sized planet in a mars orbit, or a mars sized planet in a venus orbit.

Because

A smaller planet, like mars in a Venus orbit would find it hard to retain it's atmosphere. Therefore it would not be able to retain as much heat from the sun.
I envisage a hot desert world with a thin atmosphere, tempertures above 100C but lower at the poles.
I would expect a large planet in a mars type atmosphere to retain more of it's atmosphere, and perhaps be geoglocially active.

Perhaps somebody has a model, i think goldilocks type models are too basic because they always use an earth sized planet

From culture of drinking tea back in years ago, the first nation has the habit of having afternoon tea is supposed to be the ancient Chinese, which has always been known for inherit of tea culture. Chinese people drink tea all the time, that is why most of them live longer.